


Ribbons Down My Back

by PoolWatcher



Category: Power Rangers Ninja Storm
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-26 19:37:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/653707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoolWatcher/pseuds/PoolWatcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tori cleans out her closet, pre-season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ribbons Down My Back

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older piece, and possibly one of my favorites. After watching the season and reading a bunch of fic, I felt like I had to address the sometimes jarring juxtaposition of Tori as both a badass ninja and a completely girly girl. Title comes from the song of the same name from the musical "Hello Dolly" and I felt it to be totally appropriate.

Jeans. Shorts. Blue tank top. Light blue fitted T-shirt. The clothes landed haphazardly on Tori's bed. Truly awful, paint-splattered button-down shirt? That almost landed in the trash can.

Tori leaned back against her dresser, taking in the mess that was her closet. Things had been intense lately, what with school, starting at the secret ninja academy, and training for an upcoming surfing competition, and that left her with very little time for mundane activities like keeping her closet organized.

The breeze coming in the window smelled faintly of salt, a reminder that her ninja affinity was never far away. She, Shane, and Dustin had only been at the academy for a month or so now, and her control over her element was shaky at best, but she knew she could never give it up. There was a thrill when water listened to her, a feeling of subtle power and grace.

A fluttering cloth caught her eye. It was a dress, a simple silk dress of mottled blues that hung upon the back of her bedroom door. She'd bought it on a whim; it was an impulse buy when she was supposed to have been shopping for new clothes to practice her fighting skills in. It hadn't left its hanger after she's tried it on in the store, but the sight of it now, moving ever so slightly in the breeze, brought a smile to her lips.

The guys, Dustin and Shane, would never understand why she'd done it. To them she was, really, just another one of the guys. And it was nice, Tori had to admit to herself, knowing that she had two guys who could come to her rescue but were more than happy to let her fight her own battles. It was just how they worked. They watched each others' backs, but some time back, possibly in grade school, she'd put her foot down about being smothered.

The problem then was that they forgot that she was a girl. That sometimes she really wanted nothing more than to just dress up for a day, for no reason at all. Do it just for the reactions, the looks she knew she could garner if she'd put a little more effort into her appearance. Tori ran a hand over the silk of the dress, able to see clearly in her mind how it would fit her, which features it would best show off.

She sighed and dropped her hand. Not today. Dresses like this were impractical for ninjas and surfers - there was no way she could fight in this. Still, she looked at the dress again, a sad half-smile on her face. It would look good on her, when she finally got up the courage to wear it. Maybe she'd even be able to turn a few heads.

The smile grew for several seconds, and on a complete impulse she pulled the dress off the hanger. Looked like today was a dressy kind of day after all.


End file.
